‘Mad Men’ cutters cue subtle moments

'Aftershocks' display show is really about women

They say “Mad Men” is really about the women, and for proof of the theory, one needn’t look any further than the show’s unique editing style. Consider a typical scene from an upcoming episode: In a combative exchange between ad agency rivals Pete and Peggy, the pair seem evenly matched, but after Pete exits, the camera lingers on Peggy for an extra beat as what he’s said sinks in.

Moments like that can be found throughout the series — “aftershocks,” as editor Malcolm Jamieson calls those quiet, introspective “singles” (a shot with just one character in frame). Through this technique, confrontations that at first appear to be about the men frequently shift the focus to Peggy, sharper-than-she-seems housewife Betty Draper or other female characters.

“Most of the scenes on the show are about some kind of dishonesty, even in the mildest conversation,” says exec producer Matthew Weiner. In both writing and editing, Weiner frequently structures the interactions around character entrances and exits. “You can often reverse the story. If you’re following the person who’s coming in to the room and you leave with the other person, it really creates conflict.”

Weiner invites the editors to “tone meetings” before each episode in which he reads through the script with the various department heads, making it easy to plan for such moments. During dialogue scenes, Weiner and his team use a lot of “dirty coverage” (medium and over-the-shoulder shots with multiple characters onscreen), with the editors reserving closeups to reveal subtle “tells” — a biting of the lip or flick of the eye that indicates when someone is lying.

“Matt has certain tastes,” Jamieson explains. “He likes to see dialogue on camera.” Where a more modern editing style might overlap dialogue, intercutting back and forth between the speaker and his audience, Weiner prefers to hold on whoever’s speaking, not cutting until the character finishes. Then, he’ll show the listener’s entire reaction.

The approach may make for a slower show, but auds don’t seem to mind. Ratings are up for the AMC skein this season, and the tactic actually gives viewers time to digest the dialogue and observe the characters thinking — qualities Weiner picked up during his time on “The Sopranos.”

“On a network, you’re pressured to show closeups more often, take out all the air and punch things up,” says Jamieson. But on “Mad Men,” if an episode is running long, Jamieson and Weiner look for unnecessary dialogue or a redundant scene to take out.

“With the first episode after the pilot, there was a feeling that the story was moving too slowly,” Weiner remembers. “There was an attempt at a more traditional edit that cut it down, but you didn’t feel anything. We ended up fixing it by putting a minute and a half back into the show.”

Signings & Bookings

Dattner Dispoto bookings: cinematographers Jeff Cronenweth on David Fincher’s “The Social Network,” Giles Nuttgens on David Mackenzie’s “The Last Word,” Stephen St. John on ABC’s “Lost” and Jon Joffin on Damon Santostefano’s telepic “Best Player.” Agency also placed d.p. Ottar Gudnason and production designer Carlos Menendez on Dermot Mulroney’s directorial debut, “Keep It Together,” and production designer Cecil Gentry on TV series “Gigantic.”